august1 2013
VERNONIA’S
volume7 issue15
www.vernoniasvoice.com
reflecting the spirit of our community
A Solution to the Feral Cat Problem
In case you haven’t noticed, Verno-
nia has a problem with feral cats. Take a walk
around town early in the morning, or any time
of day for that matter, and you will see an ex-
cessive number of cats watching you pass by.
There are probably many more that you don’t
see, as well.
Some of those cats are pets and belong
to local families. But many of them are feral-
wild cats that do not belong to anyone or have a
home where they live. Some are the remnants
of the 2007 Flood-cats, and their offspring, that
were left behind when families moved out of
this community. It is a growing problem, look-
ing for a solution.
Vernonia is not the only place with a fe-
ral cat problem. But help is available. The Fe-
ral Cat Coalition of Oregon (FCCO) is helping
communities deal with this issue in a humane
way.
The mission of the FCCO is to... “im-
prove the welfare and reduce the population
of feral and stray cats in Oregon through spay/
neuter programs and education.” Services are
specifically targeted for feral cats that have
caregivers who are feeding them. The FCCO
is a trap-neuter-return (TNR) program, mean-
inside
7
8
10
11
15
columbia
county fair
living on a lake
cheer squad
the inkwell
bear creek run
free
ing the caregivers trap the cats, bring them to
a clinic, and return the cats to where they are
being fed with a commitment to feed the cat(s)
on a permanent basis. The goal of the program
is to reduce suffering for existing feral cats and
prevent the births and suffering of future gen-
erations.
Vernonia City Councilor Kim Tierney
has already used the FCCO service numerous
times and is hoping to spread the word to more
Vernonians.
“I got involved in re-
sponse to the large number
of cats that were reproduc-
ing in our community,” says
Tierney. “It’s a real prob-
lem.”
Tierney says the prob-
lem was brought to her at-
tention by Vernonian Angela
Bettencourt. Together Tier-
ney and Bettencourt trapped
two cats and took them to
FCCO. “The experience
was so good it made me a
believer,” says Tierney.
According to Tierney
the FCCO has live traps
available for a $30 refund-
able deposit and will provide spay and neuter
services for free at their Portland clinic. Tier-
ney, who says she transported 13 cats in the
past month, has also volunteered to transport
other cats to Portland, and back, to help solve
this problem. You can reach her on Facebook
at Kim Harris Tierney.
To use the FCCO service you must fill
out a caregiver application ahead of time and
then schedule an appointment for surgery. In
addition to being spayed or neutered, each cat
receives an FVRCP (distemper) and rabies vac-
cines, flea and ear mite treatment as needed, and
treatment for other minor medical conditions.
Each cat will have his or her right ear tipped
for future identification. The FCCO does ask
for a $30 donation to help cover the expense of
surgery and other care, but that donation is
not a requirement.
Tierney is also encouraging local resi-
dents to help address the cat problem in
Vernonia by fostering and handling stray kit-
tens, so they can be adopted. Trapping and
handling kittens before the age of twelve
weeks makes it much more likely that they
can be socialized and adopted says Tierney.
After that very short twelve week window it
is unlikely that the kittens will ever be able
to find homes and be kept as pets. Adopt-
ing stray kittens and having them spayed or
neutered would go a long way to helping the
feral cat problem in the community.
“It is really rough for outdoor cats,”
says Tierney. “We really need to get them in
and taken care of.”
More information for anyone interested
in using the FCCO services is available at
www.feralcats.com.
FCCO is a 501c3 organization sup-
ported solely through donations. They do not
receive any taxpayer support or other public
funding. You can make a donation to their
program and help end feral cat overpopula-
tion in Oregon.
Vernonia Friendship
Jamboree & Logging Show
August 2nd-4th
Fundraiser Tournament
“Fore Our Golf Team”
The “Fore Our Golf
Team Tournament 2013” will be
held Saturday August 17, 2013
at the Vernonia Golf Club. The
tournament is being organized
by new Logger head golf coach,
Laura Blacker; all proceeds from
balls as well as some practice
balls. “Once we get that equip-
ment in place it should last a
decade. We just need an invest-
ment at the beginning. After that
we won’t need as much money
year after year.”
The 2013 Vernonia golf team, wearing their new uniform shirts.
the tournament will benefit the
Vernonia High School golf team.
“The golf team is a club
sport which means they don’t
get any funding from the school
district,” explains Blacker. “So,
we are trying to raise money for
some basic equipment the team
needs as well as help offset some
of the costs for the kids.”
The 18 hole tournament
will be a four person scramble
with an 8:30 AM start and in-
cludes prizes and contests; balls,
tees and one raffle ticket; lunch
at the club; and, as the flyer for
the events states, a “Warm fuzzy
feeling for supporting our golf
team.” Prizes will be awarded
for: the longest drive, closest to
the pin and a putting contest.
Cost is $50 or $200 per
team. For registration call Coach
Blacker or Nick Zavales at the
Vernonia Golf Club at 503-429-
6811.
Sponsorship opportuni-
ties are also still available for
the tournament and is another
way for businesses to support
the VHS golf program. Blacker
says she would also accept help
with running the tournament,
fundraising, or help with the
team next spring if anyone is in-
terested.
Blacker says she would
like to purchase hitting mats for
her players to practice hitting
from. “We’re out here in Febru-
ary and March and the course is
really, really wet,” says Blacker.
She would also like to purchase
some shag bags for collecting
Blacker says golf is a
very expensive sport for stu-
dents to participate in. Families
have to purchase clubs, shoes,
uniform shirts, bags, tees, and
balls. Then they still have to pay
fees for their team to compete in
their district, fees at their local
club, plus greens fees at every
tournament they play in, plus
the expenses to get there. “If
we could raise some money to
help offset some of those costs I
think I might be able to get some
more kids to come out and play
golf, which is the real goal.” says
Blacker. “I’d like to build up the
program here. We have such a
beautiful golf course for the size
of our community. I was re-
ally surprised and pleased when
I moved here to find there was
such a nice golf course here.”
Blacker did ask for and
receive some assistance from
the Vernonia Booster Club last
season for the purchase of team
shirts, which was a top priority
according to her players. “When
they go to tournaments they were
the only team there that didn’t
have uniforms,” says Blacker. “I
think it made them feel more like
a team, like a real sport.”
Blacker is taking over
the head coaching duties at
VHS for the recently departed
James Brookins after assisting
Brookins with the team last sea-
son. Blacker grew up in Burns,
OR and played high school golf
and attended Bowdoin College,
a small school in Maine, where
continued on page 9
